The Role of the Executive Authority in Social Crime Prevention A Comparative Study between Iraq and Iran

Abstract

This study is an in-depth analytical attempt to explore the functional and institutional role of the executive authority in both the Iranian and Iraqi legal systems, focusing on crime prevention strategies as an alternative to traditional punitive approaches. The study is based on the premise that contemporary criminal policy is no longer limited to the judiciary's role in criminalization and punishment, but has become fundamentally based on the administrative and developmental roles undertaken by the government through its service, economic, and educational ministries. Through a sociological and legal analysis of the phenomenon of social harm, the study reveals that crime is not merely a deliberate act violating the law, but rather a structural phenomenon rooted in economic and social inequalities whose repercussions cannot be contained by security forces alone. The comparative study demonstrates that the Iranian legal system has taken advanced institutional steps by establishing the "Supreme Council for Crime Prevention," which represents an administrative model for cross-sectoral coordination, thus giving preventive policies a centralized and planned character. In contrast, despite the existence of a progressive Iraqi constitution guaranteeing social rights, the reality on the ground still suffers from fragmented administrative efforts among service ministries, the absence of a national coordinating body, and the impact of political balances on the sustainability of preventive development programs. The study concludes that protecting society from deviance requires a fundamental shift in the executive branch's ideology, moving from a "crisis management" role to one of "preventive development," while simultaneously strengthening community policing, protecting social budgets, and activating the role of the family and cultural institutions as the first line of defense against deviant behavior. This will ultimately ensure the promotion of sustainable social security, moving away from excessive reliance on punitive solutions.